magusachan Reviews

Revelations (2005)

Not a surprise ..

[5/10 · 7 May 2005]

This show did not surprise me in either way, neither positively, nor negatively. It pretty much was/is the way I had expected it to be.

** Spoiler **

Armageddon scenario - a nun & a scientist on their way to save the world - the good (baby Jesus?) vs. the evil (guy who killed scientist's daughter)

.. could it have been more predictable? No, IMO.

** End of Spoiler **

I just wish they would not have put so much effort in trying to make the show stretch over more minutes, by filling it with so many (IMO) unnecessary dialogues. :( I bet a topic like this one could have been dealt with better, including more witty conversations, more twists and turns, viewer-irritating details, etc. ..all-in-all I do watch it, don't find it boring but it is not a show I feel I "must" watch. ..

Especially considering that David Seltzer is responsible for it, I bet there could have been more to make out of the basic plot.

Berlin Blues (2003)

one of the best German movies of 2003

[7/10 · 16 November 2004]

I definitely recommend this one to people interested in German movies.

It is a very simple story of a waiter working in a 'beer pub', but nicely told and filled with warmth which the actors carry. Hard to imagine that Christian Ulmen used to be a MTV moderator before starting acting, and Detlev Buck is so great in this one!

Want to see a 'different' movie on West/East-Germany? Then, go try it! While you might not get anything of the power of 'La Vita E Bella' or 'Amores Perros', it is a nice little comedy and gives good insights on how people in the catering branche did work before the 'Mauerfall' (wall fell)..

Flickering Lights (2000)

Fine Comedy

[8/10 · 16 November 2004]

Personally, what I do is try to watch a movie without having heard any details on the storyline before - so, I am not going to spoil anything here.

'Flickering Lights' is a well-made comedy about a couple of gangsters & despite of its partly violent scenes, it also shows human weakness and pain. Furthermore the movie tells the viewer how the four guys met and why their childhood experience made it impossible for them to lead a normal adolescence.

Compared to 'i kina spiser de hunde' (In China They Eat Dogs) which was also written by Anders Thomas Jensen, I think that 'Flickering Lights' deals with the personal tragedies in a better way and reaches to touch the viewer while 'i kina..' did not really moved me.

If you liked Las Van Trier's 'Idiots' and Vinterberg's 'Festen' (Celebration) you will recognize a couple of actors (Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Thomas Bo Jarsen, Ulrich Thomsen) - and although 'Flickering Lights' is not a DOGMA movie, a certain atmosphere made me remember the typical Swedish/Danish movie aura.

Great film - give it a try when you are in the mood for something different than the stereotypical Hollywood movie.